This invention relates to solving problems in imaging machines as well as toner cartridges used in Xerography and more specifically in the toner cartridge remanufacturing industry. This includes copiers, laser printers, facsimile machines, or any other imaging machine. However, this invention may also relate to these copiers, laser printers, facsimile, or other imaging machines as well as the toner cartridges used in these imaging machines. The users of this invention will typically be toner cartridge remanufacturers as well as service technicians.
CANON has designed an all-in-one cartridge as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,744, issued Dec. 4, 1990 and assigned to CANON. Several companies have used these cartridges in laser printers, copy machines and facsimile machines, each with the varying printer engines and a different nameplate. Originally, these cartridges were designed to be "disposable". However, after the first all-in-one toner cartridge was introduced, it did not take long before laser cartridge remanufacturers such as myself began remanufacturing cartridges. These "disposable" cartridges were designed to function for only one cartridge cycle without remanufacturing. The remanufacturers had found certain components that needed replacement on a regular basis. In 1990, the first aftermarket photoreceptor drum became available for use in remanufacturing the all-in-one cartridge of the "SX" engine variety, the most popular printer cartridge from around 1987 through 1996. When the long-life photoreceptor drum became available, the entire remanufacturing industry turned around and gained credibility and began a huge growth surge that still continues. In October 1993, HEWLETT-PACKARD, the largest seller of this printer engine using the all-in-one cartridge, entered the cartridge remanufacturing industry with the "Optiva" cartridge, further increasing the size as well as credibility of this relatively new industry. However, this relatively new industry grew from the all-in-one cartridge shortly after its debut. Before the introduction of the long-life drum, sometimes called the "superdrum" or "duradrum", the SX cartridge would last for around three cartridge remanufacturing cycles at best, since the maximum useful life of the OEM drum was three cycles. However, the long-life drums got their names from the fact that they were designed to last for many remanufacturing cycles or recharges as they are sometimes called. Typically, the long life drum can last for ten or more such cycles, unlike the typical OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) drum. With the additional developments of drum coatings, originally designed for OEM drums, the long-life drum may last for many additional cycles. Some coatings, in theory, were designed to be dissolved and removed from over the drum surface every 1-3 cycles, so the drum life of the long-life drum almost seems limitless.
However, with photoreceptor drums lasting for many cycles and replacement drums available, other components of the cartridge have a tendency to require greater durability, and longevity. Also, as the success of these cartridges has skyrocketed, the demand is for cartridges with longer cycles, so component improvements are significant. Therefore, avoiding natural problems with prevention means must also be implemented for cartridges of longer life both in longer cycle times and greater number of cycles.
This is true of all the various flexible components that need to be replaced or added to these devices, (toner cartridges, laser printers, copiers and facsimile machines), particularly plastic flexible components as well as flexible elastomeric components. Inventor will receive patent number RE35529 that will be issued on Jun. 10, 1997 that uses a setting or positioning device of this kind to install a shipping seal assembly, so, a concept has been developed by inventor that may be used in other applications. However, inventor has realized that the concept may also be used on elastomeric blades, plastic blades and thin metal blades that go into the machines and toner cartridges. Some of these blades include but are not limited to the recovery blades otherwise known in the art as catcher blades, sweeper blades, keeper blades, keepers, MYLAR blades, recovery blades on the waste hopper, recovery blades in the toner hopper, strips, doctor blades, metering blades, spreader blades, strips, doctor blades, plastic strips, urethane rubber strips, wiper blades, scraper blades, toner scrapers, drum cleaning blades, cleaning blades, urethane blades, and blades. In the remanufacturing industry and in the service technician industry, various strips get kinked, wavy, bowed, warped just from performing the service or remanufacturing. Sometimes the blades need replacement just from age-wear problems. For example, in the typical case for most any toner cartridge, just from vacuuming a waste toner hopper, the recovery blades and cleaning blades may get kinks caused by suction of the vacuum cleaner. As remanufacturers desire speed in the remanufacturing process., vacuuming the hoppers can cause these problems with the desire for greater suction to achieve greater speed. Cost is money. Even without the high suction, these problems can occur. Inventor has U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,237,375, 5,500,128 and 5,479,250 that deal with placing a permanent stiffener on the blades to reinforce them, both wiper blades (drum cleaning blades), spreader blades, and recovery blades as well as conductive coatings that aid in many ways. These conductive coatings may also be used in conjunction with this invention as well as making any of the mentioned blades of conductive plastic and/or rubber.
In the IBM-4019/4029/4039 series of cartridges, there are various plastic blades in the toner hopper that easily kink or otherwise get deformed and need replacement in the remanufacturing process. Consequently, these blades also need replacement. Not replacing these blades fairly regularly means cartridge failure because just the remanufacturing process itself can cause the blades to fail, kink, wave, flip, bend backwards, flare, warp, curl, loosen, stretch, or otherwise deform. There are blades on the toner hopper section that need replacement as well as on the waste toner hopper section.
In most imaging machines and toner cartridges there is a urethane rubber spreader blade that spreads the toner on the developer roller and charges the toner in the process. These blades often need replacement. Inventor also has U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,162 that deals with method, device and kit for addition or replacement of spreader blades that can be improved further with this invention or even replaced with this invention. This invention may be also applied as well to wiper blades otherwise known as drum cleaning blades, to replace the urethane blade on a metal frame or even to the toner cartridge frame in some designs of the future.
Most recovery blades use the pressure-sensitive type self-adhesive type with a release liner and are very thin, made of MYLAR or other thin plastic approximately five thousandths of an inch thick and therefore (generally ranging but not limited to around two to 50 thousandths of an inch thick), are very flimsy and difficult and tedious to install. Some people sell a install tool that must be installed separately for each recovery blade. This device consists basically of a plastic V-strip spring-clamp similar to a cheap plastic temporary removable bookbinder which has a spring pressure and squeezes the strip tight to grip it. To use this tool, the installer squeezes the plastic strip install tool to spread the clamp like opening to open it up. Then he places the recovery blade strip inside the spring-clamp install tool. Then he lets go from squeezing the tool whereby the tool exerts a squeezing pressure on the recovery blade and thereby grips the recovery blade. Then, the bookbinder tool is used as a firm handle to place or position the recovery blade in place and after the recovery blade is installed, the tool is again squeezed to remove it easily from the recovery blade. One disadvantage of this system is that the installer must individually go through the full lengthy procedure of installing and uninstalling the spring-clamp install tool for each individual recovery blade to be installed.
This invention may also be used for installing replacement blades in hoppers and waste hoppers, retaining blades, and also, of course, for paddlestrip blades. Paddlestrip blades are blades usually of plastic or urethane that are attached to a rotating metal frame known as the "paddle" that helps wipe the waste toner off the photoreceptor and then scoop this toner into the waste toner hopper. It can also be called the sweeper blade, scooper blade, the sweeper, the scooper, or the trash collector blade among other names.
With this invention, a flat removably adhered install device comes pre-installed on each individual strip and after each strip is installed, the device is merely peeled or otherwise removed very simply. Device removal after strip installation is simpler than peeling a banana peel because only one strip is peeled, whereas a banana peel requires several strips to be removed. Similarly, this device is easier to remove than having to remove the spring-clamp install tool because firstly, the device is pre-installed on every strip in the manufacturing process and secondly, the strip peels off easily like a banana peel. Also, the throwaway install device can in some manufacturing processes improve the manufacturability of the blade-product, depending on how sophisticated one gets. Read the rest of the patent to find out how this works.